Hey everyone, I recently returned from an incredible trip to Germany, and before you ask, I lapped the Nürburgring not once, but twice! 
Although there is no game that I know of that allows you to drive a rental BMW 525i Touring,
I would like to share with you my impression of the track itself, and how GT4 and Enthusia's 'rings compare (Forza's 'ring is a joke, as well as PGR2's).
First of all I think I should mention that the museum near the Südscheife (modern, F1 course) contains an entire room devoted to Gran Turismo 4, with maybe 30 TVs and PS2's installed in the walls, and a 3-screen, DFP-equipped, full-motion simulator version in the center (Sony/PD really enjoy promoting their product
). The simulator is free, and spectators can watch your performance on a separate black-and-white TV from the same cameras that are used in replays on the home version. I did the simulator only a couple of hours before I did my laps, so a comparison was easy to make.
Things GT4 does better than Enthusia:
The curbs that are prominent on many corners are visually and physically more correct, but not perfect. The natural (hills/trees) scenery along the uphill section between Adenau and the Karussell is more correct. My first lap was sunny, and yes, German grass is that bright of a green in the sun
. GT4 features the graffiti on the track that we're all familiar with. The buildings and signs littered along the sides of the course are a little more detailed. Overall, GT4's Nürburgring looks much more realistic than Enthusia and any other racing-game representation I've seen, especially the scenery surrounding the course.
Things Enthusia does better than GT4:
While GT4's 'ring looks more realistic, especially beyond the guardrails, Enthusia's ring is more realistic; between the guardrails. The track width is better than in GT4 (GT4's width is too narrow). The sizes/lengths/durations/angles of the corners are better (GT4's are too small/short, and some are too wide). The cambers of some of the turns are better (and camber actually means something in Enthusia's physics; GT4 seems to ignore the benefits of a banked turn, making the Karussell more difficult than it really is). Overall, GT4's version of the course is too small - like it shrunk in the laundry - while Enthusia's is more accurate; this is proven by comparing laptimes with real-life laptimes. The locations and sizes of trees are better in some places. GT4 greatly exaggerates its jumps; IIRC, pretty much any car can get air in GT4, but I don't think the 525i could, even if I wasn't held back by my dad, who was reluctantly riding shotgun (him:
me: ).
Things both games need to improve on:
Corner curbs are too small. Some corners, particularily the ones at the beginning, have much more camber as they approach the curb. GT4's 'ring is too bumpy. Enthusia's 'ring is too smooth. Both games feature non-existent run-off space, especially at Metzgesfeld. The Karussell seemed like it tilted a lot more (maybe just felt like it?
). Neither game features the public roads that run along various parts of the track, especially the one just beyond the opening in the guardrail on the left side of the sharp right-hander in the Pflanzgarten (nit-picky, huh? 
). Both games start at what I believe is a non-existent starting point (the tourist entrance is where PGR2 and Forza start, and real-life races dip into the F1 course a little bit, as well as start from there).
Overall, I was very impressed with how accurate both Enthusia and GT4 turned out to be, and even more impressed with how staggeringly grandiose and daunting the real 'ring is. I'm glad PGR2 or Forze weren't my only sources of practice, or I'd probably be working my #@$ off to pay for a wrecked rental BMW!
Oh, and my laptime was just over 12 minutes. It had rained, but...yeah, I know.
Although there is no game that I know of that allows you to drive a rental BMW 525i Touring,
I would like to share with you my impression of the track itself, and how GT4 and Enthusia's 'rings compare (Forza's 'ring is a joke, as well as PGR2's).First of all I think I should mention that the museum near the Südscheife (modern, F1 course) contains an entire room devoted to Gran Turismo 4, with maybe 30 TVs and PS2's installed in the walls, and a 3-screen, DFP-equipped, full-motion simulator version in the center (Sony/PD really enjoy promoting their product
). The simulator is free, and spectators can watch your performance on a separate black-and-white TV from the same cameras that are used in replays on the home version. I did the simulator only a couple of hours before I did my laps, so a comparison was easy to make.Things GT4 does better than Enthusia:
The curbs that are prominent on many corners are visually and physically more correct, but not perfect. The natural (hills/trees) scenery along the uphill section between Adenau and the Karussell is more correct. My first lap was sunny, and yes, German grass is that bright of a green in the sun
. GT4 features the graffiti on the track that we're all familiar with. The buildings and signs littered along the sides of the course are a little more detailed. Overall, GT4's Nürburgring looks much more realistic than Enthusia and any other racing-game representation I've seen, especially the scenery surrounding the course.Things Enthusia does better than GT4:
While GT4's 'ring looks more realistic, especially beyond the guardrails, Enthusia's ring is more realistic; between the guardrails. The track width is better than in GT4 (GT4's width is too narrow). The sizes/lengths/durations/angles of the corners are better (GT4's are too small/short, and some are too wide). The cambers of some of the turns are better (and camber actually means something in Enthusia's physics; GT4 seems to ignore the benefits of a banked turn, making the Karussell more difficult than it really is). Overall, GT4's version of the course is too small - like it shrunk in the laundry - while Enthusia's is more accurate; this is proven by comparing laptimes with real-life laptimes. The locations and sizes of trees are better in some places. GT4 greatly exaggerates its jumps; IIRC, pretty much any car can get air in GT4, but I don't think the 525i could, even if I wasn't held back by my dad, who was reluctantly riding shotgun (him:
me: ).Things both games need to improve on:
Corner curbs are too small. Some corners, particularily the ones at the beginning, have much more camber as they approach the curb. GT4's 'ring is too bumpy. Enthusia's 'ring is too smooth. Both games feature non-existent run-off space, especially at Metzgesfeld. The Karussell seemed like it tilted a lot more (maybe just felt like it?
). Neither game features the public roads that run along various parts of the track, especially the one just beyond the opening in the guardrail on the left side of the sharp right-hander in the Pflanzgarten (nit-picky, huh? ). Both games start at what I believe is a non-existent starting point (the tourist entrance is where PGR2 and Forza start, and real-life races dip into the F1 course a little bit, as well as start from there).Overall, I was very impressed with how accurate both Enthusia and GT4 turned out to be, and even more impressed with how staggeringly grandiose and daunting the real 'ring is. I'm glad PGR2 or Forze weren't my only sources of practice, or I'd probably be working my #@$ off to pay for a wrecked rental BMW!
Oh, and my laptime was just over 12 minutes. It had rained, but...yeah, I know.
(That's every shade of green I can find) You didn't tell the rental company you were going on the 'Ring did you??? 
No harm was done to the car, though, because I'm an expert driver. 
)........
